Khatter had required the employee to pay more than $10,000 in premiums by way of a $5,000 upfront payment, $3,240 in regular small cash payments, and $2,167 funding company expenses on the employee’s personal credit card.

The ERA ordered all of the money to be returned to the unnamed employee, citing the premiums as a blatant abuse of power.
In total, Crichton ordered the disgraced employer to pay $25,000 as a penalty for breaching the Minimum Wage Act, Employment Relations Act, Wages Protection Act and Holidays Act.

He also ordered $28,781.23 to be paid to the employee for minimum wage arrears, reimbursement of premiums and holiday pay arrears.

“The level of non-compliance identified during this investigation was very disappointing given the significant breaches of minimum employment standards,” said Ward.

“This ruling sends a clear message to employers that failure to comply with minimum employment labour standards will not be tolerated,” she added.